Manhattan Beach Real Estate

Our Approach

At PV Brokers, our approach to Manhattan Beach Real Estate sales and marketing begins with integrity and experience. These founding principles ensure that our clients receive ethical, personalized attention from our knowledgeable representatives. We strongly believe in long-term relationships with our Manhattan Beach Real Estate clients resulting in a fair and enjoyable home buying experience. We understand the emotion and importance attached to the purchase of your new home. As such, we carefully listen to the needs of our clients and only then apply our expertise and experience to meet their expectations. At all times, we operate with the upmost integrity and professionalism, remembering that our practice is client-centered and client-driven. Simply, at PV Brokers, we listen.

Agent Profiles

Bart Cleveland

Co-Founder, PV Brokers

For 20 years, Bart has been the president of Ro-Bart Corporation primarily handling the operations of a prominent South Bay restaurant, Mr. Pockets Sports Bar. This experience afforded him unique networking opportunities as a visible part of the South Bay community. Coupled with being a Manhattan Beach native, Bart’s contacts within the entire South Bay community are extensive and will be leveraged to meet all your specific real estate needs.

Bart was also the co-founder of the Westwood Opportunity Fund, a hedge fund specializing in small and mid-cap equities. He is a registered investment advisor and can provide a unique perspective to make your home choice an affordable and responsible one. Acting in your best interest with experience and integrity is one of the founding principles of PV Brokers.

Bart is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and received a BA in Political Science. He presently resides in Manhattan Beach with his wife and 2 children.

History of Manhattan Beach

The city that is now known for chic restaurants and sophisticated nightlife was a cattle ranch dotted with
beanfields in 1888. In that year the Santa Fe railroad laid the first tracks to the port of Redondo Beach, which
had a lively fishing and tourist trade at that time. The railroad spurred development in the entire area, and
developers rushed to build beach cottages and tent camps for vacationers. For over a decade the area then
known only as the northern part of Rancho Sausal Redondo was lively in summer, but almost deserted in
winter. Sometime around 1902 the name of the area was changed to Manhattan, after two developers with
different ideas flipped a coin to decide who would get the privilege. Confusion with other cities by the same
name caused the name to be altered to Manhattan Beach by the time the city was incorporated in 1912. At
that date there were 600 full time residents, with at least three times that number visiting in the summer.

By 1920 Manhattan Beach had a small but vibrant downtown and a 928-foot cement pier which still stands
today. That pier quickly became a mecca for fishermen thanks to record catches of sea bass weighing over
five hundred pounds. Though the size of the fish has declined over the years the pier is still popular with
fishermen and strollers, and the small aquarium at the end attracts adults and children alike. The Manhattan
Beach pier with its octagonal roundhouse is the oldest of its type still standing on the West Coast, and has
been declared a state historic landmark.
Like most coastal cities in California, Manhattan Beach experienced a boom after the Second World War, and
the year-round population grew steadily. The area did not become a mass-market tourist destination; beach
cottages were still the preferred lodging for visitors, and a hotel was never built downtown. After the demise
of the Red Car light
rail line in 1954, day trippers from downtown LA preferred closer beaches in Santa Monica and Venice.

Manhattan Beach remained a quiet community until the late 1960's, when a new generation discovered the
virtues of the area and came to stay. Fine restaurants and chic shops sprang up to cater to their tastes,
celebrities moved in, and suddenly downtown Manhattan Beach was famous.
Though the city has always been primarily a resort and residential community, it did have one industrial
enterprise in the form of the Metlox Pottery factory, which opened in 1927 at the corner of Manhattan Beach
Boulevard and Morningside Drive. This factory produced one-of-a-kind pieces like the ceramic sign for the
Pantages Theater in Hollywood as well as colorful dinnerware and ceramic art pieces. In the 1950's the
factory produced a famous line of Disney figurines, and at one time over 500 people were employed there.
The factory closed in 1989, but the site remained vacant for years due to an ownership dispute and concerns
about environmental damage from the factory.

In the late 1990's a plan was put forward to redevelop the
area, and in 2004 ground was broken for the Metlox Plaza, an area of fine restaurants and upscale shopping.
Adjacent to that plaza is downtown Manhattan Beach's first hotel, Shade, which began welcomed its first
guests in summer of 2005. Manhattan Beach is also home to many restaurants and Sports Bars. Many Alumni Sports groups, such as the LSU Tigers, Texas Longhorns, and Penn State Nittany Lions, have their Southern California Headquarters located in Manhattan Beach.